“DOWN WITH THE ENGINEERS.”— “THE MINISTER FOR EVER!”- New Popular Shibboleth.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5379, 24 June 1878, Page 2

“DOWN WITH THE ENGINEERS.”— “THE MINISTER FOR EVER!”New Popular Shibboleth.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir, —A friend has sent me the following extract from Mr. Bryce’s recent speech at Waverley, as reported in the Wanganui Herald. Speaking of the Wanganui-Patea railway, he said : “ When he addressed his constituents in Wanganui he alluded to this leisurely progress, and stated that the late Government bad determined to carry on the line from the present finish of the formation to a distance of about seven miles, or to a point s unewhere near Mr. Pharazyn’s house, while the present Government intended to take it across the Waitotara. He had spoken to several electors who had been pre-ent, and they all perfectly understood his words to mean that the next contract of the late Government would have been for seven miles. Mr. Pharazyn, however, from his question to Mr. Fox, evidently understood him (Mr. B.) to say that the terminus of the line would be near his house. Why did Mr. Pharazyn think that ? He (Mr. B.) would argue that Mr. Pharazyn’s mind was in a state of preparedness to receive such a statement, and would account for it in this way. Mr. Fowler, a former Government engineer, was a great friend of Mr. Phanzyn’s, and no doubt, being well acquainted with the opinions of the leading Government engineers, had told Mr. Pharazyn, and thereby prepared his mind for such a statement about the terminus. The settlers had good cause for congratulation that a Government so completely under the control of its engineers had been ousted from office, and a Government not so controlled had taken their places. (Cheers.) As soon as he (Mr, B.) heard that the tenders had been invited to carry the line across the Waitotara, he inquired the direction of the n xt length. Ho had heard. something of a trial line near the sandhills, but on inquiry found that nothing definite had been determined upon.” Now if Mr. Bryce had trusted to his memory instead of exercising his imagination in inventing ingenious psychological theories, he would have recollected that I originally asked him the question ho refers to, my impression being that many persons would gather from bia statement—as indeed they did—that I bad induced the Atkinson Government or its engineers to carry the line as far as my house at Marahaw, and that having obliged me, they did not intend to go further. Mr. Bryce having explained that “he merely alluded to my house in order to indicate the locality,” I thanked him for hia explanation, and said that “it was the first time I had ever heard of the proposal, which seemed so extraordinary that I thought there must be some mistake.” Entertaining this opinion, I asked Mr. Fox, at his meeting, “ if he had ever heard of the proposal of the Atkinson Government to call for tenders for the line only as far as my house, as stated by Mr, Bryce at his meeting.” To this Mr. Fox replied “ that he had never heard of such a thing, and that there was no difference what ever between the intentions of the Atkinson and Grey Government, both, of course, proposing to carry on the line as soon as they had the means of doing so. ”

Under these circumstances, there was scarcely any occasion for Mr. Bryce to make my assumed private information the ground for attacking the late Government. However, I suppose that Mr. Bryce thinks that “any stick is good enough to beat a dog,” and is not particular which end bo gets bold of. As a

matter of f ,ct, I believe there was some difference of opinion among the officers of the Public Works Department as to whether it was advisable to construct the WanganuiPatea line or not, and as honorable professional men, they no doubt did not hesitate to express the opinions they held, whether agreeable or otherwise to Ministers. At the same time I am equally certain that the Government, having once decided, would have had their decision loyally oarrie ■ out by those gentlemen. However, we have changed all that. Subserviency is to be the chief virtue of a Government official. Under-secretaries, engineers, heads of departments, must not presume to bring their special knowledge to bear against the general ignorance of a Minister. Tlie democratic idea must be carried out in its integrity, and the popular will is to find its expression in that delighttul freedom of Ministerial action which Mr. Bryce so much admires. The probable result will be that the Government, “ not under the control of its engineers," will be very much in the position of a locomotive which has escaped from the control of its engine-driver and breaksman, aud will stick half-way up the hill of prosperity or run off the lin-s of common sense into the swamp of financial disaster. —I am, &0., Robert Pharaztn. Wellington Club, June 20.